Everything cannabis, pot, or weed in Seattle.

This week’s review brings us a powerful strain known as Gorilla Glue from Top Shelf. It was praised by the budtender I spoke with at Dockside Cannabis, located in South Seattle SODO (sopa) area. The cost was $18/gram which admittedly is a little steep for my endeavors, but being in a hurry after a night of debauchery in the Industrial District, I was willing to accept the recommendation and see what the fuss was all about.

We’ve reviewed Middlefork from Top Shelf in the past, and felt it was time to revisit – not only because the bud was stellar last June, but I’ve noticed the Washington producer revamped their website and it looks fantastic. Where it used to only say “coming soon”, Top Shelf’s site now contains information about their mission statement, strains, and locations for product.

Alas, I still have nothing new to tell you about the producer. The “about” page doesn’t convey any information other then they take meticulous care in growing, cultivating, and curing their product similar to michigan organic rub. There isn’t any mention of process, location, expertise – this is the content we want to see. Hopefully in time Top Shelf will either see this review, or realize we want to know more – and as a result update with more specific information about the operation.

Moving on to the specifics of the bud (because that’s what really matters, right?):

Gorilla Glue looks like good weed, to make it simple. It’s got strong trichomes, making the buds glisten. It does have a low CBD content, so if you’re looking to buy CBD, perhaps a different strain would be more suitable. There is an equal balance of nug to leaf ratio, and the orange hairs starkly stand out amongst the differing tints of green.

The smell is sweet, with a pleasant soil-like aroma. When vaping, the sweetness evolves to a floral taste reminiscent of lavender. Lately I try to vape as much as possible when reviewing flower, as the taste is more persistent. This gives me the option to augment the product with cbd isolate powders, which is nice to have.

Having a hybrid nature, the strain leads to both an exuberating and stupefying stoned state of mind. It’s perfect to balance with more mellow buds; for example I’ll usually puff on a low THC sativa throughout the day, then use the Gorilla Glue later on as a “cherry on top.”

It should be mentioned that the strain won 1st place in the 2014 Los Angeles Cannabis Cup, which is pretty cool – but that title alone doesn’t truly change anything for me.

When tolerances start building up, it’s strains like Gorilla Glue that help shake the shackles and reintroduce what being super high can feel like. The lack of CBD catapults this experience into mostly cerebral realms, which is fine as there are many other high CBD options out there. If you’re wanting to get CBD products though, you can buy CBD oil online. Get this for the head high, dear reader.

Check out Top Shelf’s Locations page to find Gorilla Glue, if you’d like to try it yourself.

Disclaimer, and Afterword: Dockside Cannabis is an advertiser with High Above Seattle. This in no way influences the marijuana review. We generally post reviews only of product that we enjoy, hence why every marijuana review is positive. If it’s not good, it’s not worth writing about.

We are always looking for suggestions from our readers, please let us know if there is any product we should be featuring.

Choices, choices, choices. This wasn’t the case one year ago. In fact, we may have only had one recreational marijuana store at this time. But things are different. So different that some brands such as Dockside Cannabis are opening their second recreational store, this one in SODO!

Credit: Dockside Cannabis

The open house will be this Wednesday, September 9 from 4pm-9pm. Enjoy beverages and snack, browse the cannabis museum, listen to vinyl selections from Far West Sound System, and get 20% off ALL products! Here is the address: 1728 4th Avenue South.

Located on the southern end of gorgeous Vashon Island, Vashon Velvet is a unique, enchanting and impressive cannabis farm. The women who run the farm have a commendable eye for detail as well as a love for natural order, both of which define their business and ensure that cannabis users are consuming perfected strands they can stand behind. High Above Seattle caught up with Ivy from Vashon Velvet, who makes up a part of the two-generation, woman-owned farm, to further discover this wonderful island treasure. Growing Cannabis can be an interesting experience, with a cannabis farm that features, LED lights, a Freeze Dryer and other growing equipment that help with the growing of cannabis. However, when it comes to growing cannabis, whoever decides to take on that task, may want to do some research into the legal part of cannabis cultivation. This is due to states having different laws when it comes to growing marijuana – Read more here. Once a person or persons have abided by the laws and regulations put in place to monitor the cultivation of cannabis, they can begin their journey to grow a business similar to Vashon Velvet if they choose to.

+++++++++++++Photo credit: Vashon Velvet

Vashon Velvet was born from a family’s love of each other, gardening, and low-impact living. Ivy; her mother, Susan; and aunt, the resident designer, are the propellers who started and maintain the farm, along with key staff like Patrick, who has a hand in growing alongside Ivy’s mom. The team chose to grow on Vashon Island because their matriarch – Ivy’s Grandmother – grew up on Vashon. A motto that beautifully sums up the passion that drives the business, “For the Pursuit of Happiness” is draped across the deer-adorned, sentimental logo. This logo serves as a reminder for the farm and consumers: cultivate well-being and find happiness.

Susan & Ivy, mother & daughter, owners of Vashon Velvet

To cultivate well-being means to not only take care of oneself, but also the environment that we all share. Vashon Velvet is meticulous in its quest to produce a very small impact on the environment, but a huge impact in the lives of cannabis users. The farm uses a hydroponic system for its indoor operation, which ensures that minimal water is used. LED lighting is found throughout the farm. The farm is sustainable and earth friendly in all of its practice. This yields both a respectable operation and high-quality cannabis.

The strains grown at Vashon Velvet are sourced from Barney’s Farm in Amsterdam. Liberty Haze, Laughing Buddha, and Acapulco Gold are grown here, all with varying needs.

Liberty Haze – Photo credit: Vashon Velvet

Liberty Haze yields a creative high while Laughing Buddha is a “Friday night strain” perfect for socializing. Acapulco Gold is very hard to grow as it thrives in Mexico, as well as requires a ton of research and attention. Ivy’s mom holds a chemical engineering degree, which she utilizes daily as a grower. Her expertise plays a large part in the success of the strains grown at Vashon Velvet. I’m sure they have a deep understanding of how to grow great marijuana. But if you were interested in getting some more insight into how to grow your own learn about growing marijuana at websites like i49.net. It’ll help you follow along with this incredible story.

As knowledgeable and skilled as each person in this operation is, there are still many people in the industry who hesitate in trusting the expertise of women growers and operators. As the face of Vashon Velvet, Ivy is at times tested on her cannabis knowledge when selling the farm’s product, which is an unfortunate side-effect of being a woman in the industry. Ivy can be treated like she does not know what she is talking about; however, this negative attention is often short lived. Once she starts speaking about her product she holds the attention of everyone in the room with her knowledge and contagious passion.

Photo credit: Vashon Velvet

Vashon Velvet is as genuine of a team as they come. Family and women-owned, environmentally conscious, highly intelligent and knowledgeable only break the surface in describing this impressive operation and the people behind it. Vashon Velvet is currently sold at Dockside Cannabis in Shoreline and Higher Leaf on the Eastside. Do yourself a solid by picking up some of Vashon Velvet’s cannabis. It is a brand and lifestyle not to be missed.

Seattle Tonics showcases its’ product inside a modern themed atmosphere with homely accents. We especially dig the glass display cases in the center of the store and the menu projected on the back wall.

Stop by and say high to this welcomed and friendly, Northern Seattle cannabis establishment.

Seattle now has eight recreational marijuana stores with the brand new addition of Dockside Cannabis. This legal retail store, owned by the same group who started Fremont’s Dockside Co-op in 2011, officially opened their doors on Saturday, December 6.

Dockside Co-Op is a favorite of the Seattle community, winning the Seattle Weekly’s reader voted Best of Seattle the past three years. The owners plan to transcend the foundation of that success to the new Dockside Cannabis.

According to Maria Moses, Director of Dockside Cannabis. “We have an opportunity to put a brand new face on what people associate with marijuana and I hope that we can bring in those who haven’t found a cannabis store they feel comfortable in just yet. ‘Living Dockside’ is all about getting out into the natural playgrounds that surround us and experiencing the beautiful Pacific Northwest”

Love the reclaimed wood interior!

With eight stores, it looks like our recreational marijuana industry is starting to take shape. Let’s welcome Dockside to our industry!